Gut Microflora, Nutrition and Health

Course Description

COURSE CONTENT

1.The role of intestinal microbiota in human health

L: Taxonomic classification of the human microbiome. The establishment of the intestinal microbiota and changes in its composition throughout life. The genetic and epigenetic modes of action on the host physiology and intestinal microbiota.

Modern in vitro and in vivo approaches in the research of intestinal microbiota and its role and metabolic activities in a human body.

Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) abundance in the autochthonous intestinal microbiota and their impact on the health.

S: Phenotypic and genotypic identification and characterization of the intestinal microbiota using culture-independent molecular methods, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatics tools.

E: Analysis of the microbial population by metagenomic approaches.

2. Metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota

L: Sources of dietary substrates for the gut microbial population. Application of transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches to determine the metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota. The main products of bacterial metabolism in the intestinal tract and the role of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Molecular mechanisms of adaptation of autochthonous, allochthonous and opportunistic bacteria to the stress conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.

S: Intestinal in vitro models to study intestinal microbiota metabolic activity

E: Analysis of the survival of lactic acid bacteria, desirable members of intestinal microbiota, in the simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions

3.The impact of nutrition on intestinal microbiota

L: The impact of the nutrition on the composition and metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota. Influence of prebiotic substrates and probiotics as food supplements and "living biotherapeutic preparations" of the next generation, on the intestinal microbiota. Production and application of inulin-type fructans, galactooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides and glucooligosaccharides. Bifidogenic and butyrogenic effect.

S: Influence of the eating habits on the composition and metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota.

E: Determination of autoaggregation and coaggregation properties of the selected bacterial species of intestinal microbiota participants.

4. Restoring the balance of the disturbed intestinal microbiota

L: The factors affecting the intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. Interrelation of intestinal microbiota composition with the occurrence of metabolic disorders and diseases. Nutritional and microbial modulation of carcinogenesis in the intestinal tract. Models of microbial cell adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells and competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract. The concept of pharmaco-metabonomics. Modern therapeutic strategies to restore the disturbed intestinal microbiota.

S: Association of intestinal microbiota composition and metabolic disorders and diseases. Development of pharmaceuticals and food supplements intended to restore disturbed intestinal microbiota. 

E: In vitro experiments on the antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria, desirable members of the intestinal microbiota, on selected harmful bacterial species from Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella and Escherichia genera in the intestinal tract.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Comparison of the microbial community abundances across the different sites of the human body
• To correlate the metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota with its impact on the host´s health, and explain how the disturbance in the intestinal microbiota composition influences the occurrence of certain metabolic disorders and diseases
• To distinguish among autochthonous and allochthonous microorganisms in the intestinal microbiota composition
• To critically evaluate the prons/cons of using gnobiotic animals, Mac/Gac systems and in vitro models that simulate the gastrointestinal tract, applied in the studies of the interactions of the intestinal microbiota, nutrition, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms on host health.
• To compare the potential of the specific culture-independent molecular approaches, sequencing and bioinformatics tools in the characterization of the intestinal microbiota composition, genetic potential, and functionality
• To explain the influence of the availability of carbohydrates and proteins and the composition of the intestinal microbiota in the colon on the presence of certain bacterial metabolites and critically evaluate their beneficial and harmful effects
• To evaluate the impact of the prebiotic substrates and other food compounds, and probiotics as dietary supplements and "living biotherapeutic preparations" of the next generation, on the biodiversity of the intestinal microbiota
• Conduct an in vitro survival study of lactic acid bacteria, beneficial members of the intestinal microbiota in simulated conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.
• To connect the aggregation properties with the adhesion capacity and the colonization potential of bacteria in the intestinal tract
• To determine the antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria against undesirable bacterial species in the intestinal tract belonging to the Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and Escherichia genera by a turbidimetric method.